International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-6 Issue-5, June 2017
Design of a 3 Phase Automatic Change-Over
Switch using a PIC Microcontroller (PIC16F877A)
Ogundare A.B, Ihiovi M.M
 which automatic switching systems can solve domestic and
Abstract: Change over process involves switching electrical load
from one power source to another, when the load is powered by
two alternative sources (main utility and stand by generator). The
process can be complex if it involves starting and stopping of
source like generator and monitoring of mains. This paper
presents a method to ease this rigorous process. A 3 phase
automatic change over which uses generator control mechanism
is designed to select between two available sources of power in
this case, generator and utility with preference to the utility. The
system monitors the utility mains supply and checks for complete
failure as well as phase failure upon which it automatically start
the generator, run it on idle for a minute, then switch the load to
it. The system keeps monitoring the utility source for power
restoration, it also monitor the generator output for failure upon
any of which it switches back the load to utility supply and
automatically switch off the generator. Once power is restored,
the system delays for two minute before transferring the load to
the utility supply. Success was recorded as the above processes
were automated. This was achieved with the combination of
discrete electrical and electronics components
Keywords: Electrical Load, Utility, Generator, Electrical and
Electronics Components.
I. INTRODUCTION
I t is an undisputed fact that the supply of electric power
in Nigeria and most developing countries of the world are
erratic in nature. This is however unhealthy for most
processes or systems which are dependent on electric power.
Hence an alternative electricity source is essential for
improved efficiency. To harmonize this electricity source
with that of the utility, certain processes has to be initialized.
These include the monitoring of the supply from utility, the
starting/ stopping of the generator, the switching of the load
to and from the generator as the case may be. These entirely
sum-up together to make the change-over process which to a
reasonable extent is rigorous. The most common type of the
change-over switch is the manual change-Over switch which
basically consists of a switch box, switch gear and a cut-out
or connector fuse. As such, the manual change-over switch
system requires the use of one’s energy in starting the
generator and switching over from utility supply to
generator in cases of utility power failure as well as when
the supply is restored. With advancement in modern
technology, these entire processes can be achieved in a
faster and more efficient manner with little or no risk of
damage to equipments. The importance and advancement of
control system in engineering have created different ways in
Revised Version Manuscript Received on May 05, 2017.
A. B. Ogundare, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Lagos. Lagos,
Nigeria, E-mail: ayoadebenson@yahoomail.com
M. M. Ihiovi, Electrical Engineering Department, University of Lagos,
Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria, E-mail: preciousmusty@yahoo.com
24
industrial problems especially in the developing countries
(Oduobuk, et al., 2014). Several works has been done in
regards to this area with remarkable success over the years.
(Atser et al., 2014) designed and implemented a “3-Phase
Automatic Power Change Over switch” using three voltage
Comparators (LM741 AH1883), 3-input-AND gate (4073),
two BC 108 transistors and 12V, 30mA relay as well as
some biasing resistors. The voltage Comparators (LM741
AH1883) were biased to sense the unregulated voltage - one
for each of the three phases (Rø, Yø, Bø) and then couple
the analogue outputs to the 3-input-AND gate (4073). The
device can be of Industrial or domestic use where 3-phase
power supply is available with a stand-by power source.
(Oduobuk et al., 2014) presented a Design and
implementation of an automatic three phase changer using
LM324 quad integrated. In the work, the designed was
simulated using (Multisim). IC and some passive
components were used. (Ezema et al., 2012) Design an
Automatic Change over Switch with generator control
mechanism. We provide an automatic switching mechanism
that transfers the consumer loads to a power source from a
generator in the case of power failure in the mains supply. It
automatically detects when power has been restored to the
mains supply and returns the loads to this source while
turning off the power from the generator set.
In view of all these, this paper presents a proposed
design of a device that executes this change-over process
automatically. It thus holds an important key in the
provision of a continuous power supply through a near
seamless switching between the mains supply and an
alternative standby source like the generator set. This device
will possess the following features:
 Monitoring of the power supply from utility in
other to detect power outage, phase failure, over or
under voltage supply in the most earnest time.
 Uses of the corresponding signal to self actuate the
change-over system.
 Automatic switching on/off of the generator
 A near seamless transition between the mains
supply and an alternative standby source
 Protection of the system against under/ over
voltage
 An updated system status display
 Easy installation and operation
II. DESIGN SPECIFICATION
The specification of this design is tabulated in table1 below.
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 Design of a 3 Phase Automatic Change-Over Switch using a PIC Microcontroller (PIC16F877A)

Table 1: Design Specification

For this work, a balanced load on the system is assumed,
Rating 144KVA
hence
Operating voltage 415V

Maximum current 200A

No. Of phase/frequency 3ph/50hz

The contactor required will have a minimum current rating
A. Figures of
As said, to insert images in Word, position the cursor at For increased efficiency, a tolerance of about + is
the insertion point and either use Insert | Picture | From File given
or copy the image to the Windows clipboard and then Edit | Thus contactor rating will be
Paste Special | Picture (with “Float over text” unchecked). or nearest
The authors of the accepted manuscripts will be given a allowable.
copyright form and the form should accompany your final As such a 200A contactor was selected.
submission. Below is the consideration for cable selection, a tolerance of
about + is given:
III. METHODOLOGY Required cable should carry a current of at least
The block diagram of the 3 phase automatic change-over
switch is depicted in figure 1 However, a larger cable size may be required if the
operating environment is very hot,
B. The Power Supply Unit
The power supply unit is designed to consist of a full wave
rectifier, a filtering capacitor, a potentiometer, a voltage
regulator and a 12V back-up battery.

Figure 1: Block diagram of 3-phase Automatic Change

over switch using pic micro-controller. For a ripple factor of 1%;
The complete circuit diagram is as shown in figure 2 below.
B1

12V

U1 LCD1
D10 7805 LM016L
D9 1N4001
1 3
VI VO
GND

BR1
C5 SW1
phase1 1uF 1N4001 SW-SPST D11
2

DIODE-LED
VDD
VSS

VEE

R10
RW
RS

D0
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6
D7
E

PHASE1 10k
R2
On the voltage divider circuit, R1 is selected as 1k and R2 is
1
2
3

4
5
6

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

RV1
BRIDGE
10k

100
D19
1N4732A
C7 calculated below.
BR2 22p
X1 U2
phase2
R9 C6 CRYSTAL 13 OSC1/CLKIN RB0/INT
33
10k 14 34
PHASE2 OSC2/CLKOUT RB1
35
RB2
2 36
RV2 RA0/AN0 RB3/PGM
22p 3 37
RA1/AN1 RB4
4 38
RA2/AN2/VREF-/CVREF RB5
5 39
RA3/AN3/VREF+ RB6/PGC
BRIDGE 6 40
RA4/T0CKI/C1OUT RB7/PGD
D18 7
RA5/AN4/SS/C2OUT
1N4732A RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI
15 RL1 GEN START
R1 8
RE0/AN5/RD RC1/T1OSI/CCP2
16 RLY-SPNO
100 10k 9
RE1/AN6/WR RC2/CCP1
17 D12
10
RE2/AN7/CS RC3/SCK/SCL
18 R3 Q1 1N4001
23 BC547
RC4/SDI/SDA
1 24 10k
BR3 MCLR/Vpp/THV RC5/SDO
R8 RC6/TX/CK
25
10k 26
RC7/RX/DT
phase3 19
RD0/PSP0
20
PHASE3 RV3 RD1/PSP1 GEN STOP
RD2/PSP2
21 RL2
22 RLY-SPNO
RD3/PSP3
RD4/PSP4
27 R4 Q2 D13
28 BC547 1N4001
RD5/PSP5
BRIDGE 29 10k
RD6/PSP6
30
UTILITY
RD7/PSP7
D17
100 1N4732A PIC16F877A

Then a ‘7805’ regulated is used to regulate

BR4
RL3 RL5
gen test signal R5 Q3 RLY-SPNO RLY-SPNO
GEN TEST BC547 D14
10k 1N4001

R7
10k
BRIDGE
LOAD
RV4

R6 Q4 RL4 RL6
BC547 RLY-SPNO RLY-SPNO
10k D15

100
D16
1N4732A
1N4001

Thus a 5V power supply unit.

V1

GENERATOR
V3PHASE

C. The Central Processing Unit

Figure 2: complete circuit diagram This unit is designed to be implemented using a PIC
microcontroller (PIC 16f877a) and some complimentary
IV. DESIGN components whose choices are based on specifications by
the manufacturer on the data sheet. For these work, the
A. Calculation of Power for A Three Phase System components include a crystal oscillator of rating 8 MHz, a
Generator rating is , operating at 10k pull-up resistor and two stabilizing capacitors. The PIC
and a power factor of . is programmed using the basic programming language to
To determine rating of contactor to be used as well as cable take charge of most control in the system. The program is
size developed in C language using the micro C pro. The
flowchart of the program is shown in figure 4.
Apparent powers
Line voltage
Phase voltage
Active power “P” Apparent power power factor
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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249 – 8958, Volume-6 Issue-5, June 2017

D. The Display Unit V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

For effective display, this unit is designed to be The working Principle of the Automatic Change-Over
implemented using LCD display with the following Switch is explained thus,
features and specification: The 3 phase automatic change over with generator control
Table 2: LCD specification mechanism is designed to select between two available
sources of power i.e utility and generator with preference to
Parameter Value the earlier. The system monitors the utility mains supply and
Supply voltage for LCD 3VDC checks for complete failure as well as phase failure upon
Input voltage 3.3VDC which it automatically start the generator, run it on idle for a
Supply current 1.5mA minute, then switch the load to it. The system keeps
E. The Switching Unit monitoring the utility source for power restoration, it also
monitor the generator output for failure upon any of which it
The switching unit of this design comprise a two no. of switches back the load to utility supply and automatically
Electro-mechanical contactor with the following switch off the generator.
specifications whose choice is based on the proposed design Once power is restored, the system delays for two minute
specification of the automatic change-over switch. Its trigger before transferring the load to the utility supply.
signal is outputted from the CPU via a 12V relay.
RL1 and RL2 are 3 phase electrical contactors which are
VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
connected as an interlock to switch the load between the
generator and utility. They are rated 200A each which is It is recommended that the alternative source of electric
competent to conveniently switch a 100KVA load as power (generator) available in a system where this
specified for this design. automatic change-over switch is to meet up with the under
listed standards:
RL3 and RL4 are relays that control the actuating signals  It must have electrical ‘start and stop’ facility.
of the contactors. They are rated 12VDC. Q1 and Q2 are  The generator as well as its battery has to be in
transistors configured to operate as a switch as well as pass good working condition always.
sufficient current to switch the relay. The prototype of the 3 phase automatic power change-over
switch has been designed and implemented. This functioned
F. The Sensor Unit
accordance to its specification. The device is quite cheap,
This unit is to comprise of three sensing circuit each of reliable, easy to install, self operative and useful in any
which contains a bridge rectifier, a voltage divider circuit system that utilises standby source of electrical energy.
and a shunt zener diode to regulate the signal as depicted
However the above design is still subject to improvement as
below. This unit is connected to each phase in order to send
more features could be added.
appropriate test signals to the CPU. Fig. 3 presents a circuit
for the sensor unit’s circuitry.
The design of this unit is same with that of the power supply REFERENCES
except for the introduction of D1, D2 and D3 respectively 1. Ahmed M.S., Mohammed A.S. and Agusiobo O.B. (2006)
‘’Development of a Single Phase Automatic Change-Over Switch’’.
which are zener diodes connected as shunt regulator to AU J.T. 10(1): 68-74. Federal University of Technology Minna,
regulate the test signal voltage between (0-5) V. Nigeria. (Jul. 2006)
On the voltage divider circuit, R1 is selected as 10k and R2 is 2. Amos, S.W. and James, M. (1981). Principles of transistor circuit:
calculated as follows; Introduction to the design of amplifiers, receivers and digital circuits.
6th ed., Hartnolls ltd., bodmin.UK.
3. Atser A. Roy et-al, (2014). Design and Implementation of a 3-Phase
Automatic Power Change-over Switch. e-ISSN : 2320-0847 p-ISSN :
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4. Ezema L.S., Peter B.U., Harris O.O. (2012). Design of automatic
change over switch with Generator control mechanism. SAVAP
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regulated to 4.8V maximum. with Generator Control Mechanism. ISSN-L: 2223-9944. Vol.3, No.3,
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contactor with extra Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK
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RV1-RV4: variable resistor USA.
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C1-C7: capacitors Three Phase Changer over Using LM324 Quad Integrated Circuit.
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 Design of a 3 Phase Automatic Change-Over Switch using a PIC Microcontroller (PIC16F877A)

12. Theraja, B.L.; and Theraja, A.K. 2002. Electrical Technology, 21 st ed.
Ranjendra Ravida, New Delhi, India.
.
Ogundare, Ayoade is a Principal Lecturer in Electrical /Electronic
Engineering Department of Lagos State Polytechnic. He had his first degree
B.Eng from the University of Ilorin, M.Sc from the University of Lagos
and Ph.D (in view) in Electrical Power Option at the Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta. He acquired practical engineering experience in
various establishments. He is a registered engineer with Nigerian Society of
Engineers (NSE), Council for the Registration of Engineering in Nigeria
(COREN), the author of the book ‘’Introduction to Electrical Machines’’
and ‘’Understanding Electrical Installations and Workshop Practice. He
has several paper publications.

Ihiovi, Mohammed al-mustapha is a

postgraduate of the Department of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering at University of Lagos
and also a Part-time Lecturer at Lagos State
Polytechnic Ikorodu, Lagos. Nigeria. He had his
first degree B.Eng from Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria. He is a
member of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE).
He is a freelance Engineer. His areas of interest
include electric power distribution systems, electrical installation of
building and home automation.

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